Jamaican Writers Society is a professional organization consisting of Jamaican Writers of all genres of writing. This includes: Poets, Bloggers, Fiction Writers, Non-fiction Writers, Playwrights, Children Story Writers, Song Writers, etc.

Lignum Vitae Awards 2017 – Rules of Entry

RULES FOR ENTRY

The Awards, which are presented biennially, are intended to encourage original creative work of quality in the field of literature. The awards are presented by the Jamaican Writers Society in collaboration with the Jamaican Copyright Licensing Agency (JAMCOPY). The Una Marson and Vic Reid Awards were previously presented by the National Book Development Council of Jamaica.

UNA MARSON AWARD FOR ADULT LITERATURE

WINNING ENTRY – J$500,000.00.

Creative non-Fiction Prose: Entries should not be less than 50,000 words and should be of a non-technical, non-specialist nature, be likely to appeal to the general reader and demonstrate literary qualities and techniques. These can include memoirs, biographies and autobiographies as well as works of history and contemporary culture.

Essay Collection: Entries should not be less than 50,000 words and should be of a non-technical, non-specialist nature, be likely to appeal to the general reader and demonstrate literary qualities and techniques.

Novel: Entries should not be less than 50,000 words.

Short Story (Collection): Entries should not be less than 50,000 words.

VIC REID AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE (13-18 years)

WINNING ENTRY – J$250,000.00

Novel: Entries should not be less than 30,000 words.

Short Story (collection): Entries should not be less than 30,000 words.

JEAN D’COSTA AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE (under 13 years)

WINNING ENTRY – J$250,000.00

Novel: Entries should not be less than 15,000 words.

Short Story (collection): Entries should not be less than 15,000 words.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

The competition is open to all Jamaican nationals (resident or non-resident) as well as Permanent Residents to Jamaica. Entrants of all ages are eligible.

Not more than one-third of the short story or essay collections should have been previously published.

Entries may be in Standard English or Jamaican Creole.

Entries should be typed double-spaced in Courier, Helvetica or Times New Roman.

Illustrations are not required and graphic novels are not accepted at this time.

A fee of $2,000.00 for the Vic Reid and Jean D’Costa Awards and $4,000.00 for the Una Marson Award is applicable for each entry.

Entries must be submitted electronically as a PDF document to lignumvitaeawards@gmail.com . Manuscripts submitted as .doc, .txt. or other word processor files will not be accepted.

Manuscripts must be accompanied by:

a completed Entry Form

a brief biographical statement; and

proof of payment (a scan of receipt or deposit slip is acceptable)

The entry fee of $2,000.00 or $4,000 must be made via manager’s Cheque or direct deposit to the JaWS account. Manager’s Cheque must be made payable to Jamaican Writers Society. Manager’s cheque should be sent to:
Jamaican Writers Society
Lignum Vitae Writing Awards
c/o Jamaican Copyright Licensing Agency
17 Ruthven Road Building 1
Kingston 10Direct Deposits can be made to:
Account #: 990858868286
Bank: First Global Bank Branch: Liguanea

The entrant’s name should NOT appear on any page of the manuscript, but should be placed on a separate cover sheet.

Entries must be received on or before June 30, 2017.

The Lignum Vitae Writing Awards Committee reserves the right not to make an award if, in the opinion of the judges, the entries do not meet the desired standard.

The judges, JAMCOPY staﬀ, and their immediate family are not eligible for entry

JUDGING

The judges will be appointed by JaWS

Manuscripts will be evaluated for originality, craftsmanship, clarity of expression and use of language.

The decision of the judges will be final.

RESULTS AND PUBLICATION

Shortlisted entrants will be announced October 2017.

Full results will be announced at the Awards Ceremony which will be held subsequently.

The JaWS will, where possible, give assistance in finding a publisher for the Winning Entries.

Prize winners and shortlisted entrants agree to submit photographs for the publicity or promotion of the Competition. Only the identity of shortlisted and prizewinning authors will be made public by the JaWS. Winners and shortlisted entrants also agree to make themselves available for interviews and other activities in association with the promotion of the awards. If published all winning entries should be identified as winners of the Lignum Vitae Awards

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About Denise N. Fyffe, Editor in Chief

Jamaican author, Denise N. Fyffe, has over 30 published books to her credit. She authored several volumes of poetry, Christian books and scholarly titles. Her books include Declarations for my Sons and Daughters and Sudden Death: Loosening Foundations, which tackles the issues of depression, rape, incest and suicide. Visit https://www.theislandjournal.com, https://denisenfyffe.wordpress.com/ and https://revthechristianlife.wordpress.com for more of her work.